ARTBA Voices Industry Concerns about FHWA’s Emissions Proposal

The Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) proposal to monitor greenhouse gas emissions from transportation projects is drawing plenty of national media attention (See story), and ARTBA has been a leading voice this week on behalf of its membership.

Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Assistant General Counsel Nick Goldstein told Politico that a mandate for federal agencies to set climate targets could be used as a pretext to discourage highway construction at a time when America desperately needs better infrastructure.

“Everybody says they want more infrastructure projects, but they’re constantly throwing more regulatory hurdles in the way,” Goldstein said.

In a Climate Wire story, Goldstein noted that while MAP-21 sets lowering fuel consumption and reducing air pollution as national objectives, it stays clear of mentioning greenhouse gas emissions.

“This is outside of the scope of what Congress agreed to,” he said. “If it’s truly something they want to do, let’s do it separately, and let’s find bipartisan support.”